Absolute Chess Dsiware Review

REVIEW

I downloaded Absolute Chess dsiware this week, and I like it! It's not usual chess by any means, more like pick up-and-play quick game of chess, and in that role, it does very well. The game engine is set for speed, and does not think too deep. At the advanced level, it can spot mate in 3. So, I think, it's about 5 ply, or 2.5 move deep.

It has 4 levels, and 8 characters for a variety opponent. Missing features are timer, auto play, hint, undo (somewhat). If you come in expecting the usual trappings of chess, you will be disappointed. This game is geared more toward blitzkrieg chess.

Some bugs are presents: Racheal instead of Rachael. b4 instead of d4. "wait" instead of undo. Minor blemishes to what an otherwise good program.

I appreciate the designers for injecting flavor by doing anime style character, even if they're not animated. There are different pictures showing different states: neutral, winning, and losing.

I really like the download play feature. Alas, no timers. At least the graphics are clear and pleasant. No worries about confusing pieces, that's for sure!

It's too bad you cannot turn off music or sound effects independently. If I want to listen to music while playing chess, that's what mp3 players are for. The majority of chess players prefer quiet solitude.

It also has challenge mode. Not a big deal, though. 1st level, win the game. 2nd level, win the game in 12 minutes, a casual game. 3rd level, use bishop to take 4 or more pieces. Easy, since pawns count as pieces. 4th level, leave 3 or more pawns. Keeping 3 pawns in castling does the trick just fine. 5th level, 70 moves, 7 minutes, Blitzkrieg chess with 2 extra minutes. Did I mention that the early level makes all kind of blunders? Just play a defensive game, and you'll beat the challenges no problem!

Here's a sample game that I played:
1. e4 e5 2. f4 xf4 King's Gambit Accepted
3. d4 Qh4 4. Ke2 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qg4 6. h3 Qe6 7. Nc3 Qc4 8. Kf2 Qb4 9. a3 Qd6 10. e5 Qh6 Harassing the Queen while developing
11. Nd5 Kd8 12. Nxf4 Be7 13. Nd5 Bh4 14. g3 Qe6 15. Nf4 Bxg3 16. Kxg3 Qh6 17. d5 g5 18. xc6 xf4 19. Bxf4 Qxc6 Clarifying position
20. Bg2 Ne7 21. Kh2 Rg8 22. Rg1 Qe4 23. Bg3 d6 24. Ng5 Qf5 25. xd6 Qxg5 mate in 2
26. xc7 Ke8 27. Qd8 mate

LifeChess003 - Look before you leap

LifeChess003 - Look before you leap

The ability to calculate is a fundamental skill in chess, as it is in life. Look before you leap, they say. Sometimes life gives you choices, and you do not know what to do. It is tempting to just blunder through life and you don’t give a care in the world. A decision made quickly is better than a decision made too late. However, there are times when the situation demands a more careful perusal.

In general, the ability to think things through has given me a tremendous advantage in life. In problem solving, I can generally avoid unpleasant situations simply by thinking things through and then decide on a path that avoids all those complications. This is a skill that can be practiced. To a neophyte, it looks tremendously complicated, and most people would give up immediately. I admit that some positions baffle me, but that’s no reason not to try!

The advantage of seeing deeper not only provides you with better and cleaner solution, but also a seemingly ability to shape things to come. To become clairvoyance, so to speak. Obviously, the ability to see deep into chess position does not translate readily to real life situation. However, there skills needed to develop the skills to see deep positions in chess is the same skills needed to develop the skills to see deep consequences in planning. In other words, if you can do one, you can do the other!

Take a look at this position. Black is winning. White has to make a decision, and I decided to do a rushing attack to Black’s position. The moves are as follows:

6k1/2b2n1p/2p2pp1/1pP1p3/pP2P2P/Pq3NN1/Q4PPK/8 w - - 0 1

1. Qd2 Qxa3 2. Qd7 Bd8 3. h5 Qxb4 4. hxg6 hxg6 5. Nh4 Qxc5 6. Nxg6 Qd6?
Obviously, Qd6 is a mistake. It doesn't do anything. But let's look at the position before that, what can White do?

3b2k1/3Q1n2/2p2pN1/1pq1p3/p3P3/6N1/5PPK/8 b - - 0 6

White obviously wants to do Qe8! Now let's calculate the variations:7. Qe8+ Kg7 8. Nf5+ Kxg6 9. Qg8+ Kh5 10. g4#7. ... Kh7 8. Qxf7+ Kh6 9.Nf5+ Kh5 10. Qh7+ Kg5 11. Kh6+ Kg4 12. f3#9. ... Kg5 10. Qh7 not a check. Can Black do something?

In the short variations above, you can see that there are 2 mating possibilities: g4# and f3#. So the question becomes, is there a move that Black can do to prevent those two mating possibilities? The answer is Qxf2! f3 becomes impossible due to the pawn not being there, and g4 is impossible because the pawn is pinned. So, that would be the move I would do. As to whether or not White can actually mate the King, I honestly didn't calculate that deep.

As the game was played, though, Black failed to see this move, and loses horribly. 7. Qe8+ Kh7 8. Qxf7+ Kh6 9. Nf5+ Kg5 10. Nxd6 and White wins.

LifeChess - The importance of being daring.

LifeChess - The importance of being daring.

Being daring and being brave. This is a commonly acknowledged trait associated with male superiority. Witness the movie "Braveheart" starring Mel Gibson, whereupon strength isn't so much portrayed as being brave. Also commonly done is the game where little boys dare one upon another to do brave (often foolish) things to impress others. Yet it is important to distinguish between foolish and brilliance. It is not enough just to be brave. It is not enough just to dare to look in the face of danger and laugh. You must be selective and intelligent in which you choose the manner of displaying your bravery.

Anytime you want to engage in risky behavior, you want to be prepared. You don't want to risk all or nothing unless you have gone so far down that you have no other alternative. People sometimes forget that those daring people really do not take much risk. Yet, often times, it looks as if the people involved is nothing more than a group of daredevils. Nothing could be further from the truth! There is a good reason why plane jumpers carry a spare parachute. Why do mountain climbers has support groups? Cliff climbers carry all those ropes just to be safe. It is important to be daring yet safe. Life last longer that way.

Yet, people do not realize that. Often times, foolish people imitate the activities of the masters, never realizing that what the masters do is very difficult and dangerous. It is only upon hours of preparations and skill building that masters would engage a seemingly risky behavior, except that after all the preparations is all good and done, the danger of tight rope walking is less than that of driving drunk.

If safety is paramount, then why be daring at all? The answer to that, besides being fun, is that sometimes the reward is proportionally higher than a safe alternative. Risk is present in all life's endeavour and it is a fine balance we want to strike between risk and reward. Often, the greatest success goes to the most daring person, all else being equal. It is a desirable quality, then, to stand fast against adversity, to look at danger without fear, and to succeed with greatness, gumption, and gusto.

This also highlights the lesson of Follow Through. Once you set up a motion to take risky endeavour, don't have cold feet! Follow through the action no matter what the consequences! Sometimes, bravery isn't an option. Sometimes, you need to be brave, just to survive. So, prepare, focus, act, and follow through.

The following game was played over the internet. KingHal, playing White, was my opponent. It was late at night when tiredness rule and mistakes are made by both sides. Interestingly enough, when I ran the game with the computer, the computer agrees more with White indicating the soundness of his game. Yet, I won the game due to his blundering. It goes to show that without proper skills and preparation, being daring often equals being foolish. Better to learn that lesson in the comparative harmless environment of a chess board than that of broken bones on street.

White: KingHal
Black: Ramstrong
Date: 2007-10-18
Event: InstantChess - Internet play
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 b5 5. Bb3 (C70 Ruy Lopez - Morphy Defense)
5. ... h6 This is an extremely passive move. The idea is to prevent Ng5. With proper play, Black should not fear this move, but I don't think I can handle the complication arising from Ng5. This is a case of being safe means making a cowardly passive move.
6. O-O Bb7 7. c3 Bc5 This isn't a standard move, but the idea is sound. Both bishop are aiming at the king. Once the center is liquidated, Black has a dangerous attack. As White will need to liquidate the center to press on the attack, this is a good bet to make.
8. Re1 d6 9. d4 exd4 10. cxd4 Ba7 White's game is fine so far. Black is being pushed back defensively.
11. Nc3 Nge7 This is a defensive, developing move, but it is also one of my more cunning move. It looks like I'd castle kingside, when what I really want to do is castle queenside to nestle among my bishops and put the rooks on the opposing king. Again, once the kingside pawns are liquidated, I'd have a dangerous attack on my hand.
12. a3 Qd7 13. Be3 O-O-O The opening preparation is complete. We now enter the middlegame. Black has great attacking potential, yet White has a better game on the account of a more current pressing attack.
14. d5 Bxe3 15. Rxe3 Ne5 16. Nxe5 dxe5 White attacks! Black parries. Advantage: White.17. f3 White has an excellent pawn formation. As I've said, Black will need to liquidate the pawns if he wants to attack.

(Diagram 2kr3r/1bpqnpp1/p6p/1p1Pp3/4P3/PBN1RP2/1P4PP/R2Q2K1 b - - 0 17)

17. ... f5! This move is my kind of move. A daring pawn attack!
18. Kh1? g5! 19. Rc1 g4! While White wastes time dilly-dallying, Black is poised to destroy the pawn chain.
20. Rd3 gxf3 21. gxf3 fxe4 22. fx34 Rhg8 Once the pawn chain is destroyed, Black attacks fiercely. The game is now balanced on a razor sharp point. White is to attack Black, and Black is to attack White.
23. Rg3? This blunder costs White. White would have been okay with d6 attack. Despite all White's preparation, White cowers when he should be courageous. Black's following attack is seemingly effortless, but things could have been hairy for Black, had White been daring.
23. ... Rxg3 24. hxg3 Qh3+ 25. Kg1 Qxg3+ 26. Kf1 Rf8+ 27. Ke2 Rf2+ 28. Ke1 Qg1#